The car has some pretty bad swirls and abrasions. For the first try, I'll be using finishing pads and a gentle polishing compound so I don't screw the pooch too badly. A mobile detail guy once polished his way through the paint and primer on my long-gone Volvo 850; I really don't want to be that guy.

Question for those in the know: should I clay the car before I get started with the buffing, or is a thorough wash good enough?

My understanding is one should always clay before buffing, there's so much grit that clay picks up that is invisible to the naked eye. It follows the same idea sweet victory pointed out that one should also always clean off the buffing pad/surface between panels. From the first panel to the last panel those things can get awfully dirty even after clay, in my experience. I also live in one of the dustiest states in the union...

Agree on the clay bar first. Our youngest kid who was kind of a fanatic on paint finishes did that to mine prior to buffing(if that is the proper term). I'm more like KCA "wax on wax off", however, I don't do the leg sweep!

To expedite the decon process, I would recommend an iron removing spray. Since we live in LA, most of our contaminants will come from iron in brake dust. Products like iron x will chemically desolve the iron particles (if you have seen videos of wheel cleaners turning purple, this is the same thing) and leave you with much less crap to clay bar.

As a trick, grab a thin plastic grocery bag and put that between your hands and the paint. Light rub, and the contaminants will be very distinct and easy to detect.

To expedite the decon process, I would recommend an iron removing spray. Since we live in LA, most of our contaminants will come from iron in brake dust. Products like iron x will chemically desolve the iron particles (if you have seen videos of wheel cleaners turning purple, this is the same thing) and leave you with much less crap to clay bar.

As a trick, grab a thin plastic grocery bag and put that between your hands and the paint. Light rub, and the contaminants will be very distinct and easy to detect.

The bag trick is impressive. The kid did that and I thought he had lost his mind...but it works!